The present invention relates in general to container closures and closure assemblies that include a nestable and extendable spout. More specifically, the present invention relates to the addition of at least one thicker material section to the wall of the spout such that the spout can be deflected and set in a desired direction. When a single thicker material section is used, it can be positioned at different locations depending on the desired deflection orientation. When two thicker material sections are used, they can be used separately or in combination for a greater number of deflection options.
Container closures and closure assemblies of the type generally described herein often include some tamper-evident feature incorporating a plurality of frangible elements. One such product has been offered by Rieke Corporation of Auburn, Ind., under its FLEXSPOUT® trademark. This product includes a tamper-evident cap and a closure body with a nestable and extendable spout. The tamper-evident cap threads onto the threaded end of the spout and the cap must be removed in order to gain access to the contents of the container (drum) via the interior of the spout. In one arrangement the closure body is received by a raised surrounding (annular) wall that defines the container opening and when used on a metal drum end, the closure includes an annular retaining member that fits over an outer wall portion of the closure body and, by crimping, secures the outer wall portion to the surrounding wall that defines the container opening. In other arrangements that are suitable for the closure assembly of the present invention, different styles of containers and openings are used. The closure assembly construction further includes a series of frangible elements that connect a pair of bail handles that are used to extend the spout with the remainder of the cap. When a plastic drum or container receives a FLEXSPOUT® closure, the tamper-evident cap includes an outer annular portion that snaps over an outer wall portion of the closure body and secures the outer wall portion to the surrounding wall that defines the container opening. A series of frangible elements connects the outer annular portion of the tamper-evident cap with the remainder of the cap body, principally with a pair of bail handles that are used to extend the spout.
One feature of the present invention, as disclosed herein, is the addition of at least one thicker section of material as part of the extendable spout that functions as a “memory band” structure. This structure allows the extended spout to be flexed or bent in a desired direction and then stay in that selected orientation. When a vented closure is used, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,618,078, issued Oct. 21, 1986 to Hamman et al. as one example of a vented closure, the flexing or bending of the spout in a desired direction provides an added benefit. The bending or flexing of the spout into the desired direction for discharge of the contents of the container puts into play only those venting ears that are advantageous to the actual dispensing and takes the other venting ears out of play. This in turn yields a larger dispensing opening and therefore a faster flow rate for the outflow or dispensing of product from the container. The outflow of fluid product from the drum or container is still smoother (as compared to a non-vented closure) due to the fact that some of the venting ears are still used and these venting ears that are in play provide an adequate path and sufficient flow area for air based upon the exiting flow rate. Depending on the size and number of venting ears, it is possible for adjacent ears to display some degree of partial overlap. In the present disclosure, some overlap is shown, in part, with no overlap for other ears when the spout is deflected into a dispensing position. In order to preclude any overlap at any time, the individual ears can be made more narrow and their number increased. The number of venting ears and the width of each ear are two considerations. The length is also a consideration, but venting ear length goes more to the size of the flow opening that is defined by the ends of each venting ear when the spout is extended.